Townspeople came from all over the county, even the remote areas, to access the books and the success of the library led to the decision of the people of Cape Breton to apply to the government for legislation to tax themselves for library services. In 1936, the town of Reserve Mines opened the library; soon, almost a dozen other places followed suit and opened regional libraries throughout Cape Breton.

While the libraries were developing, Father Jimmy began organizing study clubs among the men of the community. His goal was to show these men that they can interact and express themselves best in a group and that cooperative study is the pathway to cooperative living. Study clubs also developed among women and the nuns that led the study groups taught the women crafts.

One of the study groups that did a lot of work on cooperatives began researching and came up with a theory on how a cooperative housing project would work. The idea was developed with further organized study and with the help of Father Jimmy and Mary Arnold. The construction of the first cooperative housing project got underway in 1936 and was called Tompkinsville. Eleven members of the community got together and built homes for their families on twenty two acres in Reserve Mines.

Other ventures that began out of the study clubs were the credit unions and cooperative stores. Each grew out of study clubs into successful business ventures that were highly important to the development of the community. Tompkins' theory of credit unions was they were the most honest and human form of brotherly love because it was just like lending money to your neighbors and townspeople without looking for anything in return. A credit union was developed in the community of Reserve Mines, and soon other communities in Cape Breton did the same.

Father Jimmy oversaw the development of adult education, cooperative stores and credit unions, while remaining parish priest at St. Joseph's from 1939, until failing health forced him to retire in 1948. When he retired, he moved back to his hometown of Margaree and was cared for by the Sisters of St. Martha until his death in 1953. His death brought back tributes from many lands. But perhaps the most meaningful came from one of the coal miners who buried him on a hillside overlooking Tompkinsville. "By heaven," he said, "There was one hell of a man."

Since the death of Tompkins, organizations such as the Tompkins Institute for Human Values and Technology, have been formed to continue to do the work for society that Father Jimmy set out to accomplish.